Save Our Memorials!

Interview Updates on Don't Tear Me Down

2009-10-09T08:34:00.001-07:00

Here are some links to just a few of the videos Liberty Legal Institute and clients did recently in the Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial case:

Lou Dobbs (CNN, Kelly debates Barry Lynn)
Fox and Friends
America’s Newsroom (Fox News)
Religion and Ethics Newsweekly on PBS
Washington Post about the case
Washington Post bio on Henry and Wanda Sandoz
CBN
C-SPAN (Liberty Legal and clients begin at 4:10)
CNN bio on Henry and Wanda Sandoz
CNN on oral arguments
CNN about the case
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams (Wednesday, features VFW client Joe Davis)
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams (Sunday)
ABC World News with Charles Gibson

Don’t Tear Me Down Goes to Washington!

2009-10-02T10:40:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the high profile Mojave Desert War Memorial case. It’s the most important case of the term; so far, Fox News has run stories on this issue with us and our clients (click here for America’s Newsroom from Sept. 17, check back soon for more information on the Fox and Friends interview from Thursday).

Here are other shows to watch soon:

NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams (Airs Sunday with follow up later.)
PBS Religion and Ethics Newsweekly (Here's a link to the segment. Airing likely on Sunday, varies by region. Click for your PBS station.)
CNN American Morning (Monday between 5 a.m.-8 a.m. CST), Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer (Monday between 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.)
ABC World News with Charles Gibson (more details coming soon)

In addition to these on-camera interviews, the Washington Post released articles on Monday profiling the case and our clients Henry and Wanda Sandoz, who have been taking care of the memorial for the last 25 years! Be sure to leave comments on these articles!

Next week, we will keep you up-to-date minute by minute via Twitter and Facebook pages. Should we lose this case, ALL veterans memorials across our country that contain religious imagery will be at risk of being torn down.

http://www.donttearmedown.com/

American Soldiers Visit Mojave Desert War Memorial

2009-09-18T10:35:00.000-07:00

Don’t Tear Me Down Campaign Explodes! More than 1 million views of DontTearMeDown!

2009-08-04T13:11:00.000-07:00

It is so rewarding to know that there are still dedicated patriots like you in our country today. When faced with the travesty that the ACLU is trying to perpetrate on our nation’s war memorials, faithful friends like you are standing up in support of our heroic veterans and our American values.

Since kicking-off the Don’t Tear Me Down campaign in late May (just 11 weeks ago), we have seen an overwhelming outpouring of support. More than 115,000 people have signed the petition to let our veterans know how grateful we are for their service and that we will stand with them in the fight to protect America’s war memorials.

We have also gained over 22,000 Facebook fans and have had just under 1.5 million views of the video on YouTube!

Our message has even made it all the way to Iraq, where two American soldiers heard about our cause and decided to organize a road trip to the Mojave Memorial Cross with the American Freedom Riders when they come home next month. They are using this trip to raise awareness and to help spread the word!

But one of the most gratifying statements of support comes from Frank Buckles, the last living WWI vet. Frank is standing behind this campaign to save the monument that honors his fallen comrades — and he is hoping that patriotic Americans like you, your friends and your family will stand with him.

If you have already signed the petition of support, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We hope you will continue your support and tell your friends and family about our mission.

And, if you are able, we hope you also will make a generous gift now to help us continue the fight to save the sacred memorials that honor those who sacrificed everything for the freedoms you and I enjoy today. Thank you.

Good News! Supreme Court Releases Argument Time, Video Gets 1 Million Views!

2009-07-21T14:13:00.000-07:00

Great news, everyone! The argument in the Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial case at the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled for October 7!

More great news: the "Don't Tear Me Down" video has been viewed more than ONE MILLION times! Thanks for you support and for passing the video and the www.DontTearMeDown.com website to your friends and family! However, we aren't done yet! We still have another two and a half months to go before the Court hears the case, and even longer until they release their ruling. Please keep passing the word about the video and asking others to sign the petition at www.DontTearMeDown.com! We must stand with our veterans!

Tell 5, Influence Thousands!

2009-07-08T08:35:00.000-07:00

We’ve had an amazing outpouring of support from patriotic Americans like you who are willing to stand up to left-wing organizations and say…

“You can’t tear down my memorials, and you can’t tear down my freedom!”

So far, over 32,000 friends have joined us in the fight to save The Mojave Desert Memorial Cross by signing our online petition of support. By signing the petition, you can thank America’s Veterans for their service and let them know that you will fight to protect our nation’s war memorials. If you haven’t yet signed the petition, please take a few minutes right now and show your support for our brave American soldiers.

If you have already signed the petition, please encourage 5 of your friends or family to join you in taking a stand against those who wish to suffocate our freedom and desecrate our nation’s memorials.

If all of our 32,000 friends who have signed the petition so far recruited just 5 more people, we would have over 160,000 voices of support!

We must spread the word about the travesty that the ACLU is trying to perpetrate upon American values. Please don’t let the liberal left silence the voices of freedom. Stand up and be counted by sharing this critical issue with your friends and family now. Together, we will let those who wish to suffocate our freedom know, “I won’t be torn down!”

DontTearMeDown.com Launches to Help Save Our War Memorials

2009-06-19T09:07:00.000-07:00

For more than 75 years, the Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial has stood as a reminder and tribute to fallen heroes and brave sacrifices. World War I veterans erected the 7-foot-tall cross in 1934 in the middle of the 1.6 million-acre Mojave Preserve in California.

Today, the ACLU is threatening to tear down this national treasure -- along with every other national memorial that displays religious imagery.

But Liberty Legal Institute is fighting back. Joined by 5 top veterans groups representing over 4 million soldiers, we’re asking the U.S. Supreme Court to keep historic religious monuments like the Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial from being torn down.

To help spread the word about this landmark case, we recently launched www.DontTearMeDown.com, a site dedicated to providing up-to-date information about the Supreme Court case and how the decision will affect Americans.

Since Memorial Day, over 10,000 people have signed the online petition to let veterans across America know they, too, will stand up against the ACLU and the desecration of our national war memorials. Also, more than 3,000 fans have joined the facebook page to let their voices be heard on this important issue!

To learn more about the Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial -- and how you can get involved in saving this historic symbol -- please visit DontTearMeDown.com and stand up against those who wish to tear down our war memorials and those who fought to preserve our liberty.

2009-06-09T10:09:00.000-07:00

Check out the brief we filed on behalf of the Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial!

Veterans Groups Ask U.S Supreme Court to Save Memorials, Hearing Set Day After Veterans Day

2008-10-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008, the day after the nation honors our military veterans who have served and fought in peace and war, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case which threatens thousands of veterans memorials across the country.

More than 4 million veterans are asking The Supreme Court to reverse the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in Pleasant Grove City et al. v. Summum (No. 07-665), which assaults all privately donated public monuments. The veterans groups, in a historic coalition, including The American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (“VFW”), the world’s two largest veteran service organizations, along with a number of other leading veterans groups, filed an amicus brief in June specifically defending veterans memorials.

“If the U.S. Supreme Court fails to reverse the 10th Circuit, any city in the nation with a memorial honoring veterans would also have to allow a monument dishonoring them,” said Kelly Shackelford, Esq., chief counsel for Liberty Legal Institute, the Texas-based legal organization representing the veterans groups. “If this law stands, we would be constitutionally required to accept and erect a bust of Ho Chi Minh on the National mall along with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.”

Pleasant Grove City et al. v. Summum arose when the religious group Summum sued the City of Pleasant Grove, Utah, for refusing to erect a monument bearing the seven aphorisms of the group in a public park which also displayed a Ten Commandments monument. Summum argued that the city violated its First Amendment freedoms, and the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed, ruling that the presence of any donated monument creates a public forum that then requires the acceptance of any other permanent monument.

“Our veterans memorials serve as unchanging reminders of who we are as a nation and where we have been,” said Dave Rehbein, National Commander of The American Legion. “They force us to remember that our security and prosperity has been won at a great price. I hope the Supreme Court acts to secure and protect these memorials that honor our veterans, past and present, and the tremendous service they have given this nation.”

Amici include The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, The Military Order of the Purple Heart, The Non-Commissioned Officers Association of the USA, Veterans of the Vietnam War & The Veterans Coalition, and American Ex-Prisoners of War.

For more information, visit our website at www.saveourmemorials.org.